Effect of Needling at Selected Acupuncture Points (GB39, BL17, LR13) on Hemoglobin Levels in Anemia: a Randomized Placebo Controlled Study.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is an important public health issue in India. This study was performed to determine the impact of acupuncture at the GB39, BL17, and LR13 points on hemoglobin levels, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and red cell distribution width (RDW) in people with IDA. One hundred women with IDA were randomly allocated to the acupuncture group (AG) or placebo control group (PCG). For 30 minutes per day, daily for 2 weeks, the AG received acupuncture at GB39, BL17, and LR13, while the PCG received needling at non-acupuncture points. Outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention. We found a significant increase (p < 0.001) in hemoglobin level (AG 10.39-11.38 g/dl, effect size 0.785; PCG 10.58-10.40 g/dl, effect size 0.191), MCH (AG 25.69-27.50 fl, effect size 0.418; PCG 27.43-27.23 fl, effect size 0.058), and RDW (AG 15.12-16.41 fl, effect size 0.626; PCG 14.91-14.94 fl, effect size 0.017) in the AG compared to the PCG. Results suggest that needling at the GB39, BL17, and LR13 acupuncture points is more effective in treating people with IDA than needling at non-acupuncture points.

Effect of a Structured Naturopathy and Yoga Intervention on Pain, Depression, and Quality of Sleep in a Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Patient.

A 54-year-old postmenopausal woman was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACCA) of the right breast. She had complaints of pain in the upper quadrant of the right breast, stress, disturbed sleep, and depression. Her self-reported pain intensity using the visual analog scale (VAS) was 8 and her perceived stress scale value was 19. Her depression score on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was 12. Her quality of sleep, evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), was 18. She was given integrated naturopathy and yoga therapy for 43 days. She showed a reduction in pain, stress, and depression scores. Her quality of sleep also improved after the integrated naturopathy and yoga therapy. Our structured integrated naturopathy and yoga therapy improved pain, stress, depression, and sleep quality in a postmenopausal breast cancer patient and may be used as adjuvant therapy for patients with breast cancer.

Effects of 12 sessions of steam bath intervention on spirometry parameters among healthy adult volunteers.

OBJECTIVES: Steam bath is extensively used around the world. However, its physiological influence is not understood in detail. Objective of the current study is to examine the effects of 12 sessions of steam bath on spirometric parameters among healthy participants. METHODS: Forty healthy adult volunteers of both sex (14 male and 26 female) aged 26.38 ± 8 years participated in the study. A steam bath session (10-15 min) was given once a week for 12 weeks. The spirometric parameters [forced expiratory volume in the 1st second (FEV1, L), forced vital capacity (FVC, L), FEV1/FVC ratio (absolute value), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF, L/s) and peak expiratory flow (PEF, L/s)] were measured by Helios 401 spirometer. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, post-intervention spirometric parameters showed significant (p<0.05) improvement in the FVC (82.40 ± 11.24 to 96.91 ± 18.76), FEV1 (86.13 ± 14.39 to 91.17 ± 12.48), FEV1/FVC ratio (86.96 ± 3.64 to 93.75 ± 4.80), MMEF 25-75% (86.96 ± 3.64 to 94.16 ± 11.57), peak expiratory flow rate (79.82 ± 14.90 to 92.18 ± 18.96). CONCLUSIONS: Taking steam bath improves the spirometric parameters of healthy adult participants. However, future randomized controlled trials with on a large scale have to done to validate our findings.

Yoga and Naturopathy intervention for reducing anxiety and depression of Covid-19 patients - A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection has caused a prominent psychological and mental havoc among the patients. Till now, there is paucity in literature for the management of psychological problems among patients with Covid-19. So we aimed in our study to assess the effect of Yoga and Naturopathy intervention on anxiety and depression of Covid-19 patients. METHODS: This quasi experimental study was conducted among 130 Covid-19 positive patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital. Yoga and Naturopathic intervention was given for 60 min a day for two weeks. Hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS) and Corona anxiety scale (CAS) was used to assess the generalized anxiety and depression among the patients. RESULTS: Average age of the patients participated was 44 with the range from 36 to 53 years. Among them 85 were male and 45 were female. Of all 130 patients, 33% had symptoms of borderline depression, 9.2% had severe depression, 40% had borderline anxiety and 12.3% had severe anxiety. In CAS, 59 patients (45.38%) reported Covid-19 related dysfunctional anxiety. All the patients showed a significant reduction in the HADS- anxiety (P < 0.01), HADS-depression (p < 0.01) and CAS (p < 0.01) score after the intervention. CONCLUSION: The present study showed significant reduction of anxiety and depression level among the Covid-19 patients. These interventions can be added to the conventional care for better mental and physical wellbeing of the patients after validating the findings with justified study design.

Effect of yoga and naturopathy on disease activity and symptom burdens in a patient with active ulcerative colitis: a case report.

OBJECTIVES: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disease that affects the large bowel. The objective of this study is to find the effect of yoga and naturopathy (YN) in a patient with active moderate pancolitis. CASE PRESENTATION: An 18-year old unmarried female diagnosed with UC in 2017. Patient's symptoms began with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea with/without blood stains more than seven times a day, daily. The symptoms reduced after taking regular conventional medication for a period of one-year. However, in February-2019, the patient visited our hospital with the same complaints and received 21-days of YN treatments. Results showed a better reduction in the abdominal pain, disease activity, stress and depression and a better improvement in hemoglobin levels, quality of sleep, and quality of life with no adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: YN could be considered as an alternative therapy in the management of UC. However, further studies are required to warrant this effect.

Effect of yoga and naturopathy-based lifestyle modification on left ventricular ejection fraction in a patient with severe triple vessel disease: A case report.

A 75-year-old, married man was diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD) [severe triple vessel disease (TVD)] in the 2nd week, June-2018. The physician advised him to undergo conventional medication and coronary artery bypass graft. Since the patient refused to undergo surgery he was admitted in our hospital and underwent yoga and naturopathy-based lifestyle modification (YNLM) along with conventional medicines for 16 weeks [12 weeks of intensive care at inpatient department and 4 weeks at outpatient department (OPD)]. After 16 weeks, the patient visited our OPD once/twice a month for 6 months. An increase in left ventricular ejection fraction from 35 to 48%; and a reduction in weight from 77.5 to 71-kg, and BMI from 26.60 to 24-kg/m2 were observed after 6 months of follow-up compared with baseline. Thus, YNLM might be considered as an adjuvant in reducing risk factor and in improving left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with CAD (severe-TVD). However, further studies are required to establish the efficacy of YNLM for CAD.

Study to Evaluate the Changes in Polycystic Ovarian Morphology after Naturopathic and Yogic Interventions.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the commonest endocrine disorders in women, with a prevalence ranging from 2.2% to 26% in India. Patients with PCOS face challenges including irregular menstrual cycles, hirsutism, acne, acanthosis nigricans, obesity and infertility. 9.13% of South Indian adolescent girls are estimated to suffer from PCOS. The efficacy of Yoga & Naturopathy (Y&N) in the management of polycystic ovarian syndrome requires to be investigated. Aims: The aim of the present study is to observe the morphological changes in polycystic ovaries of patients following 12 weeks of Y&N intervention. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The study was conducted at the Government Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, India. The study was a single blinded prospective, pre-post clinical trial. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Fifty PCOS patients of age between 18 and 35 years who satisfied the Rotterdam criteria were recruited for the study. According to their immediate participation in the study they were either allocated to the intervention group (n=25) or in the wait listed control group (n=25). The intervention group underwent Y&N therapy for 12 weeks. Change in polycystic ovarian morphology, anthropometric measurements and frequency of menstrual cycle were studied before and after the intervention. Results: Significant improvement was observed in the ovarian morphology (P<0.001) and the anthropometric measurements (P<0.001) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study indicate that Y&N interventions are efficient in bringing about beneficial changes in polycystic ovarian morphology. We speculate that a longer intervention might be required to regulate the frequency of menstrual cycle.